


Full Moon

by ninchannie



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, City Boy Jacob, Communication, Enthusiastic Consent, Feelings, Flirting, Happy Ending, Hiking, Knotting, Legends, M/M, Mating Rituals, Monsterfucker Jacob, Mystery, Original Folklore, Rough Sex, Soul Bond, Werewolf Sangyeon, myths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:48:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27992523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninchannie/pseuds/ninchannie
Summary: There’s something like an electric current running over his skin before he can even hear the thunder of heavy paws coming closer from behind him. Jacob is very close to the lighting, he can see the trees open up just a few metres in front of him, so he speeds up just a bit more to break through the thicket before the wolf, that’s so much faster than him.Jacob stops there and looks up at the moon, bringing up all leftover power he has to scream at the top of his lungs.He doesn’t hear the wolf break through the trees over the sound of his own voice, but he can hear it chime in, their voices melting together and rising into the air.
Relationships: Bae Joonyoung | Jacob/Lee Sangyeon
Comments: 12
Kudos: 96
Collections: Die Jungz Fest (R1)





	Full Moon

**Author's Note:**

> This is my interpretation of Assignment 06 – REVEAL THE TIME OF DOGS AND WOLVES:
> 
> I’m creeping in your heart babe  
> I’ll flip you over, break you down and swallow you up  
> I’ll steal you and indulge in you  
> I’m gonna mess you up  
> I’m engraved in your heart  
> So even if I die, I’ll live forever  
> — EXO Monster
> 
> I hope you enjoy what I did with it!!

When Jacob started studying history, he didn’t really know where he was going with it. He just knew he was interested in learning – _very_ interested in learning – and that he wanted to find out as much about those who came before him as he could.

He certainly didn’t expect to end up specialising in legends and folklore, which slowly developed over time, the more courses he took about it. Granted, his professors played a big role in that. Good professors just _inspire_ , even things as particular like his chosen topics of study.

In his first semester, when he found out he had all kinds of courses to choose from in the upcoming years, Jacob thought he’d definitely do as many of the hands-on courses he could. Hell, maybe he’d end up graduating on the topic of archaeology, travelling Egypt and learning all about it.

As so often, things did not go to plan at all. Jacob had trouble getting a spot with an exchange program because of his dual citizenship, meaning he couldn’t pursue what he dreamt of and had to instead take the only classes that were still allowing students belatedly, namely literature.

From there he came in contact with his favourite professors and got lead to the topic of religion, legends and folklore, finding an unasked-for passion in it, but a welcome one, nonetheless. He didn’t expect it, but Jacob couldn’t be happier with how things turned out for him.

Because from his connection to one professor in particular, he found out about a guy who knew a guy who had a cousin who… you know the story. Over multiple corners of an extensive social and academic network, Jacob found out about legends surrounding a small town, that immediately piqued his interest.

Not only that, but unlike most of folklore having been touched on by a multitude of historians, these legends aren’t known, not even referenced in the big textbooks Jacob drowned in at the library one too many nights. He found a topic to study, as the first to do so. The perfect topic for his master’s thesis.

Thanks to his professor’s insistent tries, he even got his college to pay for the expenses of his research project, meaning that a few semesters late, Jacob finally gets his semester abroad, just that it’s not abroad, but instead halfway across the country, and he’s not going to take courses there, no, he can research to his very liking. For four whole months. Living expenses paid for.

Yes, Jacob is just the tiniest bit excited.

It doesn’t get any less exciting so, even when Jacob has to take three different buses to get from the airport from the next biggest city – which takes about three hours of bumpy roads – down to the town he’s staying at, a small room rented out for the next few months.

Jacob is a city boy as big as they come, but he always had a passion for exploring nature and going hiking, so the more mountains start towering around him, the more lakes glitter in the distance and streets disappear in dark forests, he finds himself growing more and more giddy. He’ll breathe in as much of this as he can in the limited time he has away from the coldness of the city.

It’s not even a particularly hot day, but Jacob feels warm and filled with the energy of nature around him. There are only three bus stops for the whole town and without luggage Jacob would probably easily walk the distance. It feels good to be in such a different space for a bit, he can feel it as soon as he steps out of the bus and something in his chest unfurls.

The feeling is strange, reminding Jacob of how he felt the few times in his life when he fell in love. Being in love with the town so quickly after arriving seems a little farfetched, so Jacob ignores the warm feeling inside of him and tugs his suitcase into the direction of the town square.

His apartment sits atop the town bakery and is rented out by the lovely old lady that runs it. She even leaves the shop momentarily – an unthinkable thing in the city – to lead Jacob up the stairs and show him everything he needs to know, before handing him the keys. Attached is a wooden disk that acts as a keychain, with the cycle of the moon carved into it in dainty lines. Jacob will have to ask her where it’s from, so he can get some as souvenirs for his friends and family.

The apartment is even smaller than his dorm room, but at the same time much more inviting. It is scarcely decorated with a dark timber bed taking up most of the space, a small TV even mounted on the wall opposite of it. There’s a chess table pushed underneath the small window that looks out over the town square, the vase of dried flowers on top indicating its purpose as a dining table.

It’s not much, Jacob supposes, but it will be home for the next few months, so he unpacks his luggage in a way that won’t just feel like vacation, but like a true move into the space.

Even though it’s only his first day, Jacob quickly changes into more sporty clothes and pulls on his hiking boots, readying a small backpack with a bottle of water (that he fills up at the sink – unchlorinated water, isn’t that incredible!) and the camera he brought with him.

Just opposite the bakery, a map of the town and its surrounding area is displayed under yellowish glass, faded out from sunlight. It shows the easiest paths around town and into the surrounding forests, and since it’s only his first day, Jacob decides to take one of the more straightforward routes to see some of the nature.

It’s only a five-minute walk until he leaves the civilisation of town behind and follows a pebble path into the forest, snapping pictures on his phone here and there to put up on Instagram. He even takes a selfie for the three people that will be interested in seeing updates about his stay, his best friend Kevin and the two professors supporting him with his thesis.

He captions the pictures with a cheeky ‘ _going hiking, I sure hope there aren’t any big bad monsters out in the forest_ 😉’, feeling utterly funny at his joke, given the existing legends of the place.

There isn’t much he could find, but the few sources that sparked Jacob’s interest about the town in the first place all surrounded a century old tribe living in the area that was closely connected to nature and animals. Some of the sources said they even made friends with wolfs through rituals during full moons, others said the members of the tribe were wolves themselves.

There’s a lot to find out, that’s for sure.

Jacob feels exhausted from his long day of travels, so he’s glad that the route he chose isn’t anything too demanding. It’s still leading him quite deep into the forest right at the edge of a mountain, trees towering tall and filtering the light out in dull, warm rays.

The path gets more and more destroyed as Jacob goes further, clearly not kept up by human hands but rather letting nature take back what is hers. Jacob quite likes that in contrast to the pure artificialness of his city and even the surrounding forests of it.

Like the light, sounds are filtered out by the thicket around him too, only the crunching of his own boots audible, soft wind in the branches and the occasional flutter of wings, chirps of a bird.

That’s why the snap of a branch rings clear and loud through the air, right to Jacob’s left, making him twirl around in an instant. His heart is beating up into his throat, his mouth dry from shock at the sudden noise.

There are thick bushes to that side of the path, the trees standing close together and drowning everything out in dark shadows. Jacob can’t hear anything over the numbing thud of his own heartbeat in his ears, but he could swear the sound of heavy, wet panting whispers through the air.

His eyes only adapt slowly to the shadows, and for seconds Jacob’s body stays frozen in place as he tries to calm down and make sense of the sound. He’s telling himself it was just the wind knocking down a lose branch, a quail on the ground in search for food.

But once his eyes adapt more and more, he’s sure he can see a black mass move behind the bushes.

Another sound averts his attention elsewhere, the sound of something quickly moving past the leaves of a tree, the rustle of twigs. Turning around, Jacob is ready to squint against darkness once more, but the air is brighter there revealing a hint of red behind the greens and browns of nature.

Gulping, Jacob feels all hairs on his skin stand straight, a cold bead of sweat rolling down his spine. He grabs onto the handles of his backpack, slowly retreating backwards.

_Get out of here_ , a voice echoes in his head and Jacob digs his heels into the pebbles and turns around to run, skipping over sticks and stones on the way.

Darkness turns brighter, the air less heavy, less condensed. Sounds come back, flocks of singing birds, the distant rush of a stream and Jacob doesn’t turn back until pebbles turn into concrete under his feet, until he’s back at the town square with burning lungs and aching muscles.

He feels slightly stupid for nearly toppling over by the map he looked at just a few hours earlier and hopes no one is watching, which is soon crushed by the sound of a door opening with a jingle and a clearing of throat.

“Went for a run?” A familiar voice asks, and when Jacob looks up the nice owner of the bakery is standing in the entry to her shop, a frilly apron around her middle and warm smile on her face.

Instead of an answer, he just nods, still feeling to breathless to bring forth any words. It makes her laugh a little, but not in a way to make fun of him, just in that maternal, fond way that makes Jacob feel right at home.

“How about you come in and have a bite to eat? You must be starving after such a long day.”

Jacob accepts the request easily, feeling slightly bad for sitting down in the cute bakery with his sweaty hiking attire. The owner assures him that it’s perfectly fine and brings him a small array of baked goods alongside a cold, homemade lemonade that Jacob drinks down in eager gulps.

There are a few other customers in the bakery, but this close to evening the residents of the city seem to have migrated to the bar at the other end of the town square instead, which makes sense. Maybe Jacob should check it out the next day.

The food is gone in no time at all and he quickly orders more to fill his empty stomach, just as a new customer comes in with tousled, black hair, sitting down in the corner. The owner must know him, because she brings him an order without him even having to say anything, before she sits down at the other end of Jacob’s table, clearly tired after a long workday.

Jacob makes smalltalk with her, learning about the town and how she spent her whole life there, even when all her friends left to move to a city. The bakery was created out of passion, she tells him, and made her popular with everyone in town, so she doesn’t regret staying there.

“You city people,” she snickers. “You’re always so prim and proper, I’ve never seen someone run back here like you.”

Grinning, Jacob drinks up the last bit of lemonade left in his glass. “I’m not just a city boy,” he explains, stopping when he suddenly feels eyes on him from across the room. He looks up to be met right with the eyes of the black-haired guy that arrived earlier. _Weird_.

“I sure see that,” the owner replies with a wink that makes Jacob blush sheepishly, distracting him from the stare directed his way. “If you ever want to know something about the city, I’m happy to help you out anytime. And I mean that.”

“Thank you,” Jacob replies sincerely, feeling excited and happy about the time he has left in the town, about learning and researching about the legends. It reminds him of his earlier trip into the forest and his smile falters somewhat. “You don’t happen to know if there are bears or wolves in these woods?”

The lady’s eyes narrow and she carefully puts her cup down. “We didn’t see bears down here in decades, but wolves… up in the mountains there are still some packs, but they never come close to the village, you don’t need to be worried about that. As long as you keep to the paths on your hikes, nothing can happen to you.”

Jacob’s skin prickles again, similar like in the forest and he feels his gaze drawn back to the man across the bakery, who’s still looking at him intently. Even after he pays and turns in for the night, he notices how the man’s eyes keep following his every step until Jacob is out of the door.

-

That night, Jacob sleeps better than he has in a long time. He’s not an insomniac in any way, never got the diagnosis at least, but he can’t remember a night in the last five years where he slept more than five hours – well, without taking meds.

Maybe it’s the fresh air or the change of surroundings, but Jacob doesn’t even realize falling asleep, and awakes eight hours later feeling… tired. Maybe his body picking up all that sleep it forgot about the last few years is more exhausting than Jacob expected.

He decides to take it easy and only goes out to grab some necessities from the only supermarket in town, a tiny thing with greenish LEDs and a miniscule selection of vegan options for food. Still, Jacob manages to get everything he could need for the beginnings in the new environment.

The rest of the day he spends inside, trying to wake up by drinking badly filtered coffee and starting a research plan for his thesis. He is here for work after all and probably should begin with it sooner rather than later.

He also talks to Kevin for nearly two hours which maybe sounds a little weird, a little needy, since he just saw him the day before, when he sent Jacob off, but hey, Jacob _loves_ Kevin, in that perfectly platonic soulmate kind of way. They have to talk at least once a day or things just wouldn’t be right in the universe.

Jacob regrets it right as it slips out, but he tells Kevin about his unsettling encounter in the forest, which the other snickers at. Maybe Kevin is right however, when he tells Jacob that it’s just his active imagination that’s excited for all the stories and legends that he’ll find surrounding the town.

Yeah, that must be it.

Apparently, Jacob’s sudden change in sleep schedule brings even more confusion into his day when instead of feeling exhausted, he suddenly starts feeling bouncy and alive as the sun begins to set above the green peaks visible from his window.

He decides to seize the chance and takes a quick shower before dressing up – or well, dressing up in something more than a lose shirt and sweatpants – and checking out the bar he saw across the town square. Maybe he’ll be able to get in contact with some people this way, both for his research as well as his personal life. He doubts daily calls with Kevin will be enough to keep him from turning into a hermit over the next few months.

The air is fresh around him and Jacob shortly curses himself for not pulling on a jacket over the thin white shirt he’s wearing, but he doesn’t turn around the short walk to grab a jacket either. The closer he gets to the bar, the warmer he gets anyway, maybe from the excitement about how it’ll be inside.

The door is made up of heavy wood and the same circular moon cycle is carved into it, that’s dangling from Jacob’s keys and he tries to remind himself to ask someone about it, if it maybe has something to do with the legends he read about and the tribe performing rituals during full moons.

Inside, Jacob is immediately met by a wall of sticky warmth and the ear-filling noise of chatter and clinking glasses. It’s not as unpleasant as in some bars and clubs he’s been to before though, and instead Jacob is excited when he walks up to the long wooden bar taking up quite a lot of the room.

He’s about halfway there when something pulls at his heart, as if a muscle is twitching there, and Jacob has to stop for a second, grabbing onto his chest. He takes a deep breath, trying to ignore the short stabs of pain that truly seem to _pull_ now, slightly to the left of the room.

Almost involuntarily, Jacob turns there and looks up from the hand clutched over his chest, vaguely into the direction he feels himself gravitating too. There’s only one booth in that corner of the room and a group of young men is sitting there, drinking and laughing carelessly until one of them turns to Jacob and-

The pain subsides at once and instead something slots into place, like his heart truly and honestly shifts to make space for something else inside of it. It’s similar to how Jacob felt when arrived, just so much more intense.

He can feel many different gazes on him from having stopped so suddenly in the middle of the room, so Jacob shakes himself out of it under some difficulty and continues on his path to the bar, sitting down there with a huff, simultaneously feeling as if a huge weight was lifted off of him, while his heart feels fuller than ever before.

He looks over once more, finding all of the men looking right back and the one who first looked over clutching his chest in a similar way that Jacob did, a pained expression on his face. Next to him someone bends over, with deep black hair and Jacob startles when he recognizes him as the guy from the day before, who didn’t stop staring at him in the bakery.

The bartender coming over with raised brows and a greeting is what snaps him back to reality and Jacob blushes when he realizes how blatantly he eyed the group of men. After awkwardly clearing his throat he orders the bar’s very own apple cider and when he gets it, he falls into easy smalltalk with the polite bartender.

It’s a similar talk like he had with his landlord the day before. If he’s new here and what he’s doing in the little town, how he seems to fit in just right. How Jacob will definitely be able to get in contact with people in the bar.

Jacob’s neck never quite stops tingling and he feels the need to look back over at the booth from before, needing to put all his effort into looking forward at the bartender and smiling politely. Even a bead of sweat is rolling down his temple.

Once smalltalk seems to fizzle out he can’t help it and his gaze snaps to the table even if only for a second. Thankfully no one is looking back at him anymore, but the bartender raises a knowing brow at him as she cleans a glass.

“Do you know who they are?” Jacob asks, feeling like some shy main character in a teen romance novel.

The bartender chuckles. “I indeed do, they’re here every night,” she says. “They all grew up here if that’s what you’re wondering. Probably know a lot about the village.”

Nodding, Jacob takes a quick look again, just checking. “The-the one with the soft light-brown hair,” he begins, brows furrowing because what has gotten into him? What is he asking? “Do you happen to know his favourite drink?”

Grinning, the bartender places her towel down and grabs a fresh glass from the cupboard behind her. “I sure do. Do you want to do the honours, or should I bring it over?” Jacob’s blush seems to be answer enough and she quickly fills the glass and brings it over to the table.

Jacob doesn’t dare to look in the direction. He doesn’t even dare to take a deep breath to calm himself. Not even when she comes back and begins to rummage around behind the bar he looks up, far too scared for a pitiful _he laughed at you, sorry_ , which might not be realistic, but still a giant worry in Jacob’s mind.

Something about the clean air of the town must make Jacob’s senses hypersensitive, because he swears he can _feel_ someone moving closer from the side, like the pressure building in his chest is slowly moving, less pulled tight and instead getting more and more bearable, warmer and comfortable until the sound of a glass being placed on wood rings through the air, making Jacob jump.

He looks to his side, head still down, finding a pretty hand resting on the counter as someone leans against it. Slowly, very slowly Jacob allows his gaze to travel upwards, taking in a soft charcoal grey knit sweater with bicep muscles bulging underneath, higher even, to the tan expanse of a pretty neck, over a sharp jaw to the most handsome face Jacob has seen in a long time.

His heart, his chest, does the _thing_ again. The puzzle piece fitting thing and he has to gulp hard to not gasp from the sudden expanse of pressure building up endlessly until finally releasing, nearly making him topple over on his chair.

A gentle hand comes to rest against his shoulder and when Jacob opens his eyes again the other man has a concerned expression on his face, his other hand over his chest, just like Jacob’s over his own. Wait, when did he put it there?

“Are you okay?” The man asks in a soft voice, slightly raspy at the edges but eternally gentle.

Oh god Jacob feels warm. Jacob feels _hot._ His cheeks are flaming, his heart hammering out of his chest and the stranger he’s… he seems equally flushed, equally awkward and shy. Thank god Jacob isn’t the only one.

He quickly nods, trying to sit up straighter, to seem at least some sort of normal and the stranger drops his hand, still seeming concerned but apparently somewhat secure that Jacob will not just slip of his chair.

“I-I bought you a drink,” Jacob says, because it’s the first thing he can think of saying, and he immediately cringes at himself.

The stranger seems taken aback for a second before smiling and Jacob’s heart is filled with utter _joy_ , he can’t quite hold back a smile either. “You did,” he says, still grinning, before holding his hand out. “My name is Sangyeon.”

_Sangyeon_. Sangyeon. Jacob didn’t know his name, but somehow it feels familiar in his head. Like there was always a place for it in some corner of his brain.

He takes the hand offered to him and feels another rush of warmth wash over him when they touch, god he barely drank anything, but he feels so _flustered_ by everything. The cider must be _strong_.

“I’m Jacob,” he replies quickly. “Nice to meet you, Sangyeon.”

“The pleasure is mine,” the other replies as they shake hands and Jacob can’t help but lean closer, keeping his hand connected with Sangyeon’s. He’s not usually that brave when it comes to flirting, but with him it comes so naturally. Well, until Sangyeon drops his hand with a shy smile. “Are you here for vacation?” He asks instead and Jacob acts like his hand doesn’t feel awfully cold once Sangyeon’s touch leaves.

“I’m not, actually,” he replies and a surprised expression rushes over Sangyeon’s face. “I’m here for the next few months to write my thesis. It’s about the legends and folklore of the town, so I hope I’ll be able to find out more about it here than I could online or in a library.”

Sangyeon’s smile fades a little and he turns his head to look back at his friends for a split second. “Maybe… maybe you didn’t find a lot, because these stories don’t _want_ to be found out, you know?” He says cryptically, making Jacob furrow his brows at him.

“Well I’m not trying to find inspiration for a raunchy romance novel, if that’s what you’re worrying about,” he explains quickly. “I’m a history major. Really, my focus is to keep legends documented before they vanish completely over time.”

Nodding, Sangyeon takes a sip of his drink. “That’s- yeah, I’m sorry if I sounded a bit rude there,” he says quickly and Jacob can tell that he really does, his heart clenching heavily. Sangyeon nods over at the table in the corner. “My friends and I we’re all from very… traditional families. The legends, as you call them, have been with us our entire lives.”

Jacob feels shame trickling up his spine. “Maybe I could learn about them from you then? So I don’t disrespect anyone? That really wasn’t my intention at all…”

“No, it’s totally okay,” Sangyeon says quickly, his hand back on Jacob’s arm to comfort him and the weird thing is that it truly _does_ just that. “I’m sure we will all gladly help however we can, so your city boy horizon gets expanded.”

Jacob can’t help but snort, quickly clutching a hand over his mouth. “Everyone here seems to only see that in me, a _city boy_. Am I sticking out that badly?”

Shrugging, Sangyeon takes a long swig of his drink, his eyes never leaving Jacob’s. “Maybe a bit,” he says once he sets the glass down. He bends over then, like the next words are meant to be a secret just between the two of them. “But if you ask me, that’s exactly what we’re missing here. A breath of fresh air.”

With a blush, Jacob averts his eyes. “I think you have more than enough fresh air,” he jokes, the line not delivering particularly well with how soft his voice turned. “But I’m happy to be here, it really feels… it feels right. Like it’s exactly what I need right now.”

He swears he can see the way Sangyeon’s chest stutters as his breath hitches, but he quickly catches himself. “That’s good,” he says gently, and Jacob’s skin erupts in goosebumps. Sangyeon clears his throat. “Do you maybe want to sit down with us? We won’t bite, I promise… or well Juyeon might.”

Jacob laughs at Sangyeon’s joke but quickly nods, following him to the tightly packed booth and squeezing onto the bench right next to him. He feels breathless from the heat pouring from Sangyeon and right through him, making Jacob feel heady and like the alcohol had a _much_ bigger effect than it should have had.

Everyone is exceedingly nice to him, even Juyeon who finds special interest in learning about the city and how life works there, about the differences to a small town like theirs. Jacob feels weird at first, because be it a joke or a brave fashion choice, Juyeon has a leather collar and leash hanging from his neck, that Jaehyun uses to pull him backwards with when he gets a little too excited, a little too up over the table and in Jacob’s space.

Maybe Jacob is imagining it, but at some point Sangyeon even sends Juyeon an icy glare and the other whimpers, quickly sitting back down and forcing himself to be more composed.

Jacob also learns that the one with the black hair, who eyed him up so intently the day before, is Younghoon. He still seems wary of Jacob at first, but as the evening progresses and more alcohol flows, he gets more lose and even trusts a few charming smiles to escape in front of Jacob.

The tipsier they all get, the clingier Sangyeon seems to get too and in turn Jacob does as well. He has an arm hooked under Sangyeon’s as he scrolls through pictures on his phone, showing him some of the pretty ones he took back home.

He’s just scrolling through them and giving random anecdotes here and there, Sangyeon sinking more and more into Jacob’s side until his head is resting against the other’s shoulder. It’s probably a little too close for two people that are barely more than strangers, but the alcohol softens the edges of what is acceptable, and Jacob’s heart can’t stop beating heavily.

Hell, back at college he fucked people he didn’t know half as good as he knows Sangyeon after the few hours they spent together, so this is probably more than fine, even if it feels more intense than anything Jacob felt in a long while. 

He just finishes telling Sangyeon a story about the creepy alley next to his dorm building that he swears is a portal to another world, which Sangyeon giggles way too cutely at, when the other lifts his head a little and crunches his nose up.

“Why do you city people do everything to not be yourselves?” He asks cutely. “Why do you change everything about you, just to fit in? Even your smell you cover up with perfume and the most artificial smelling shampoos, it’s actually very sad, Jacob.”

Jacob chuckles lightly, hoping his blush won’t be too noticeable as he turns more and more flustered the longer he looks into the deep brown irises of Sangyeon’s eyes. “I don’t really know,” he mumbles. “Don’t you like how I smell?”

Maybe exaggeratedly so, Sangyeon bends down to press his nose against Jacob’s shoulder, taking a deep breath there. He shakes his head. “I like _your_ scent, but I don’t like that you cover it up so much.”

Feeling like his heart will beat right out of his chest, Jacob averts his gaze to look back at his phone. He does a doubletake at the time, realizing just how late it is, or rather how early in the morning. Sangyeon follows his gaze and gasps a little before pulling back.

“You should probably head home,” he says softly and Jacob nods, pulling his arms around him at the loss of Sangyeon’s warmth. “I’ll walk you to the door, if that’s okay of course.”

“S-sure,” Jacob stutters. “I’ll just pay really quickly.”

He stumbles a bit once he stands up, not from the alcohol, but from Sangyeon making him feel so completely flustered, shaky on his legs in an exciting way, that’s equally terrifying. Jacob really doesn’t want to develop a crush on a cute boy from the town he’ll only spend a few months at… but maybe, maybe that’s not all that bad either.

The bartender wiggles her brows at him when he pays, followed by a smirk when he turns to leave and Sangyeon skips up to him, wrapping an arm around Jacob’s middle to lead him to the door and see him off.

He heaves the heavy door open, but his arm never leaves Jacob, which he’s very glad for when a wall of cold air hits him as they step out. The streetlights do little to illuminate the square and when the door falls closed and dulls out any sounds from inside, everything suddenly feels so _intimate_. Like the two of them are the only people left in the world.

Sangyeon must feel similarly, because with a shy laugh he drops his arm from around Jacob’s middle and takes a step back. Jacob shudders at the sudden loss, wrapping his own arms around himself to keep some warmth from dissipating into the cold of the night, but it’s not nearly enough.

“Are you cold?” Sangyeon asks, obviously noticing and before Jacob can even reply, Sangyeon grabs the bottom of his own sweater and pulls it over his head. He’s wearing a thin shirt underneath that gets pulled up with the movement and Jacob tries not too stare at the wide expanse of his abdomen, at muscle definition under a soft layer of skin.

“Y-you don’t have to, oh my god,” he says once he snaps himself out of it. “I live right over the bakery, it’s really okay-“ His body betrays him as his lips quiver and he stutters over the last word.

Sangyeon smiles in satisfaction and holds the sweater out. “Take it, I run hot anyway,” he says and watches as Jacob pulls it on, drowning just a little in it and feeling engulfed in the warmth of Sangyeon’s scent. “Besides that, this means you have to come back here tomorrow to give it back.”

He sends a cheeky smile Jacob’s way and the other blushes, shaking his head to appear fakely annoyed at the cheesy line. “I will,” he promises, tucking his fingers under the sleeves of the jumper. “I definitely will.”

-

Jacob sleeps in Sangyeon’s sweater that night and he’s just a little ashamed by it. It just smells like the forest and like something warm, a bit of spice to it that pulls him into a deep sleep that might not be as long as the night before, but infinitely more relaxing, even though he falls from one dream into the next.

It starts out simple enough, just him walking through a forest that is a mixture of wild nature and well-kept paths like in the park close to his college. Even Jacob’s dream self is wearing Sangyeon’s sweater, just that it fits tighter, like it’s his own more so than someone else’s.

The deeper he gets into the forest, the darker the surroundings get until all he can see is shadows and bursts of light, Jacob can barely even follow the path. He looks around in a try to find a way out, up to the sky that seems black, to both sides where he’s surrounded by trees and thicket but from between it, glowing orbs float around slowly getting closer, getting clearer, becoming-

Eyes. Jacob is looking right into the eyes of a giant beast and can nearly feel hot breath fan over his skin when he blinks and falls into a different dream.

He’s at a café with Kevin and they’re having an important talk, but there’s no sound, only in the distance Jacob can hear a song pick up, one that he never heard before and he can’t quite grasp onto it, can’t grip onto the words and untangle them.

But it doesn’t matter as he falls even deeper, through more messy dreams that he can’t remember most of when he wakes up and despite his brain feeling cluttered and jumbled, he still feels well rested when he takes a cold shower and maybe unconsciously so, he doesn’t use as many products as he usually does, and he certainly doesn’t use perfume.

On the first day, Jacob found an interesting spot on the map in the town square, labelled _ritual grounds_. No paths directly lead to it and it looked to be deep in the forest, still not up the mountains but a good few hours of walking either way.

With his newly found energy, he pulls on hiking gear and packs a few bottles of water, as well as some fruit he bought the day before. He stops by the bakery on his way out, getting himself a few snacks for the way, before embarking on his journey, taking a picture of the map in case he will lose signal in the forest.

He starts off on the same path that he took his first day, frightful memories bubbling up in the back of his mind that he quickly swallows down. It’s earlier and the sun illuminates the forest more, even when Jacob leaves the path to head in the direction of the ritual grounds.

He’s glad he took a picture of the map, because about two hours into stalking through nature his phone stops finding any sort of signal and Jacob is left with only his intuition to guide him into what’s hopefully the right direction.

Before soon, he finds a small stream that shows him he can’t be too far off as it’s drawn in the map, but he decides to settle down for some snacks before continuing. There’s a big stone right at the water’s edge that he settles on, looking across the small stream and into the even deeper woods on the other side.

A few crows are picking at a dead fish right across from him, reminding Jacob of the crows always sitting on the roof he can see out of his dorm room. He always thought of them as city birds, so seeing them here fills Jacob with a tiny bit of homesickness, not that he _wants_ to go home, just that he wishes it was a little closer.

Without thinking, Jacob pulls his phone from his pocket and snaps a picture to send to Kevin later on. Just as he puts it back down, something stirs behind the crows and they scatter apart, trotting to the side before flying off.

Jacob looks after them, before his gaze flicks back to their earlier spot, slowly scanning over the edge of the thicket there, squinting to be able to see something in the darkness and with a sudden flashback to his dream, Jacob is met by a pair of glinting eyes from behind the bush.

His breath hitches and he blinks, trying to make sense of it but when he tries to concentrate on the darkness again, nothing is looking back at him, only trees and bushes in his sight.

He still can’t quite shake the unsettled feeling off, so he packs up his things and continues on by the side of the stream, turning away from it when it takes a sharp curve to head right to the ritual grounds.

It only takes ten minutes or so for Jacob’s feet to take him there as tightly packed trees suddenly open up to a big lighting, nothing but grass and a few bushes disrupting the flat plane. He can see stones piled up in the middle of it, too deliberate to be natural and decides to check that out first, maybe he can even take a few pictures that he’ll be able to use in his research.

He’s about five strides out of the woods when a sound to his left makes Jacob’s blood freeze in his veins.

It’s a low, thundering growl, enough to make Jacob feel like the ground is rumbling right under his feet even though it isn’t. Icy panic flits over his skin and rolls down his neck as he instinctively puts his hands up in front of him, turning around as slowly as he can.

He’s panting, trying to not make a sound as his eyes land on the giant mass of black emerging from between the bushes. Its long snout is wrinkled, lips pulled back to reveal long, glinting teeth. The more it steps out the more Jacob sees, the more he _realizes_.

The beast’s fur moves with every step it takes, giant paws taking it closer in big steps.

Jacob has never seen a wolf thig big, not at the wild reservoir he went to as a child and also not on one of his many nights spend watching nature documentaries. Jacob has also never been more scared in his life, and simultaneously as frozen in place.

He can feel sweat drip down his temples, his fingers trembling, his knees feeling wobbly, but his body won’t move, his hands won’t even lower, as if the careful stance would help him in any way if the giant animal attacked.

He feels like he should faint. Like his body should shut off to spare him the horrors of being ripped apart and eaten alive, but apparently life isn’t that merciful for him.

With another loud growl, the wolf suddenly snaps itself into motion, snapping its teeth at Jacob before launching itself forward on muscular legs. Jacob follows just a second later, turning around and sprinting off into the opposite direction as quickly as he can.

He won’t be able to outrun it, he knows, but apparently his brain thinks this will give him a bigger chance of survival than turning around to fight. Hell, how _could_ he even fight this monstrous animal? There’s just no chance.

The thunder of heavy paws hitting the ground grows louder behind him and Jacob feels as if time stops, right before something strong connects with his back, throwing him onto the soft forest ground.

He expects stabbing pain, sharp teeth ripping him apart without mercy, but instead of that, he only feels the dull ache of pressure on him as claws tear at his legs. Jacob somehow manages to turn around, crawling backwards on the ground and the wolf seems almost taken aback by it, pausing for a moment before clawing harder at Jacob’s legs tearing the fabric of his pants and scratching his skin underneath but the surprising thing is that shock makes Jacob feel completely numb.

The beast stops there, looking around and it’s still growling, but doesn’t seem to do much else, as if something is holding it back.

_Run_ , a voice yells in Jacob’s head, the same one from his first day and with adrenaline pumping in his veins he manages to push himself up and turn around, the torn fabric of the right leg of his pants slipping off of him as he starts running as quickly as he can.

Jacob doesn’t know how, but for some reason the voice in his head knows exactly where to take him, telling him to keep running, even as branches tear at his skin and twigs snap under his feet. To turn right and jump over a shallow brook, further and further until suddenly there isn’t the unsteady ground of the forest under his feet, but the pebbles of a normal path.

He nearly breaks down here, but the voice in his head urges him on, for what feels like hours, until finally Jacob can see houses in the distance. He’s glad to see not many people around as he finds his way around streets and corners, finally seeing familiar buildings ahead.

The bakery is closed for midday break as Jacob rushes past and he couldn’t be more glad about it as he trips up the stairs and into his apartment, barely making it to the bathroom before collapsing on the floor and spitting out all of the slimy wetness having collected in his mouth from panic and exhaustion.

He sits there for a long time, trying to calm down his breathing, to get his lungs down to a burn that is bearable enough for him to move so he can shuffle over to the sink and gulp down water straight from the tap.

Afterwards, when he slides to the floor, coldness aggressively settles over him, making him shiver, so Jacob pulls his knees to his chest. His pants are torn apart completely and there are red streaks over his right thigh and down his shins, but they’re nowhere close to bleeding. It’s a miracle, really, that the beast was so gentle with him when it could’ve torn him apart in a heartbeat.

It takes a long time for him to calm down, both his body as well as his mind and when he finally does, he slips into the shower with his clothes still on and sits down under the hot stream, carefully pealing his shirt off and then what’s left of his pants, until his skin is splotchy red and he can feel his extremities again.

Only when Jacob gets out does the reality of everything settle in. The way the red streaks on his legs are truly _there_ , how he still feels like there are eyes watching him out of every corner. It’s only his third day but his second encounter with something strange in the woods. How is he supposed to go on knowing there are giant wolfs just waiting to tear him apart, right in the forest surrounding the town?

He can’t do this. He can’t possibly stay here. He should probably call animal welfare or something and tell them about what he encountered, but the only person he can imagine talking to right now is halfway across the country and probably working on assignments for his classes.

Still, Jacob scrambles to the ground and scavenges through his backpack that he dropped there earlier, for his phone. It has to be there, he couldn’t feel it in the pocket of his torn pants, can’t find it anywhere on the floor, he-

He must’ve dropped it when he fled.

With a sinking feeling, he stumbles out of the bathroom and takes his most comfortable pants out of the small cupboard he stores his clothes in. When he turns around, Sangyeon’s jumper lays on the bed, almost tauntingly so.

Jacob slumps down on the mattress and pulls the fabric over his head. It’s rough against his bare skin but immediately he feels warmer, filled with something akin to comfort from the inside out. He pulls the fabric over his mouth and nose and breathes in deeply, allowing himself to fall backwards and just relax as much as he can.

Surprisingly, it helps _worlds_ with that and once he emerges out of the comforting scent, he feels stable enough to pull his laptop out and open Skype to call Kevin. Maybe he won’t immediately break out in tears, that would be good.

Kevin accepts the call with a confused expression and Jacob fails his self-set mission, sobs immediately bubbling out of him. He feels pathetic, but Kevin has been with him through the good and the bad for years and he talks Jacob through it, telling him that it’s okay. That everything will be fine.

Once Jacob ends up with a cup of tea – that Kevin somehow managed to guide him through making – he settles down on the bed and starts to explain to his best friend what happened just a few hours earlier.

It feels completely stupid, completely unrealistic, but Kevin doesn’t interrupt him with laughter, doesn’t tell him off for being weird, instead he listens and gives acknowledging noises here and there, urging Jacob to continue even when he feels like an idiot by saying what he does.

“I have to come home,” is what the elder ends with. “I can’t possibly stay here.”

At that, Kevin perks up. “Jakie listen, you can’t come home now,” he says gently. “If your landlord was right and there are no wolves close to town, then you know what this must mean, right?”

Pouting, Jacob takes a sip of his lukewarm tea and shakes his head. “What are you talking about, Keb?”

“The legends, Jakie! People turning into wolves. Tribes taming wolves by some magical rituals. You told me so often, just _think_ about it. It sounds crazy, but maybe… maybe there’s _more_ to that. This can’t just be a coincidence. You have to find out more, if you turn back now future Jacob would regret it. Believe me.”

Jacob does. He knows Kevin is right and that in no world he’d be happy if he just turned his back on all of this now. But the shock still sits deep in his bones as well as the loneliness he feels creeping in with Kevin blinking at him through a phone screen. He could really use a Keb-hug right now.

“I need a drink,” he says helplessly, pitifully laughing afterwards with Kevin fondly shakes his head at.

“There is a bar, isn’t there? Might as well be the best time to go…”

-

Jacob doesn’t feel as excited as the day before when he approaches the bar, but he doesn’t turn around to go back to the safety of his apartment, no, he clutches Sangyeon’s jumper closer to his chest and puts on what he hopes is a confident expression.

Inside he’s immediately lulled back in warmth and a noise that is almost comforting, drowning out the hint of fear still tickling at the edges of his mind. Jacob scans the room quickly, his heart immediately beating heavily when he sees that Sangyeon is there, just like he said he’d be.

He even stands up as soon as he notices Jacob, coming over to him with a skip to his step. His expression turns from one of surprised happiness to that of worry alarmingly quickly though and when he reaches Jacob, he immediately puts his hands on his arms, looking him up and down as if to check if anything is missing, if he’s there in one piece.

“You’re okay?” He asks breathlessly and Jacob furrows his brows in confusion.

“Y-yeah, well no, but that’s okay,” he stammers out. “I’m here to distract myself.”

Sangyeon nods, worry still evident on his face. “I, _uh_ , I need to talk to you. Alone if possible, could we just sit down at the bar for a second?” He asks, only confusing Jacob more who eventually nods and follows him there.

They sit down on the tall stools and order their drinks, all the while Jacob still clutches onto Sangyeon’s jumper and Sangyeon looks back and forth between Jacob and the table his friends are sitting on with concern in his eyes.

Jacob notices that Juyeon and Younghoon aren’t there and he wonders if they have to work or if they’re just not in the mood, but he doesn’t ask about it. He’s really not that close to the group yet, and he’d also really rather learn what is making Sangyeon so nervous.

When their drinks arrive, Sangyeon takes a big gulp of his before sighing deeply. Jacob is about to ask why he’s acting so… so _strange_ , when the other reaches behind himself and pulls something from his back pocket.

“I thought you might be happy to get this back. I remembered your case and the stickers from yesterday,” he says, holding the item out in front of him and Jacob’s brain takes a few seconds to wrap around it. That _his phone_. With _his_ case, _his_ stickers on it. A tiny scratch is visible on the upper right corner but else it appears to be fine.

With trembling fingers, Jacob takes it from Sangyeon and turns it in his palms a few times before pressing on the button at the side to activate the screen. It lights up to a few notifications and looks just the same as earlier on that day. Except for the scratch. It must’ve fallen down when he ran away, when he ran through the forest… why was Sangyeon conveniently in the forest to find Jacob’s phone-

“I would’ve put my number in, but I’m not really into evading people’s privacy like that,” Sangyeon says and evaporates all thoughts from Jacob’s mind.

“Y-you want to exchange numbers?” He asks, sounding way too shocked for his own liking but Sangyeon just shrugs.

“If you want to…”

Jacob immediately opens his contacts and turns the screen for Sangyeon to type his number in. His cheeks feel hot again, but he didn’t even take a sip of his drink yet… maybe it isn’t the alcohol after all, maybe it wasn’t even that the day before.

When he takes his phone back, he realizes Sangyeon’s jumper is still placed on his lap, so he quickly folds it up nicely and hands it to him. “Thank you for lending it to me, it really helped… more than you know.”

Sangyeon’s brows quirk up but he doesn’t ask and instead brings the fabric up to his nose. Jacob blushes up to the tips of his ears when the other closes his eyes and inhales the scent, emerging a second later with a satisfied smile.

“Smells like us,” he says with a grin. “Well, it smells like you now but still like me too, it’s nice.”

“I should’ve washed it oh gosh, I’m so embarrassed,” Jacob begins to ramble before he even registers Sangyeon’s words. “Wait, you like it?”

Leaning closer, Sangyeon licks his lips once. “I told you yesterday, didn’t I? I _love_ it,” he says, his eyes darting from Jacob’s eyes to his lips and back up before he leans back. Jacob isn’t used to flirting like this, to the intense sensations his whole body is erupting in because of it, so he stammers out a reply that only makes him blush more.

To avoid further embarrassment, he quickly sips some of his drink – this time something fruitier, that Sangyeon ordered for him – and tries to avoid the other’s eyes, though he can feel Sangyeon look right at him the whole time.

“Listen,” he begins when Jacob sets his glass down. “It wasn’t me who found the phone, it was Juyeon… he didn’t know it was yours and it was a lucky coincidence that I recognized it. Just… he told me he found it pretty far from town… You have to be careful there, okay Jacob? I can’t keep you from exploring, but please… tell me when you plan to go there or tell _anyone_ … just to make sure.”

Jacob’s throat feels weirdly dry and he still doesn’t meet Sangyeon’s gaze. “Have you ever… have you ever heard of wolves in the forest? Like giant, _really giant_ wolves?”

Turning his head, Sangyeon looks over his shoulder for a second, at the table of his friends, before scooting closer to Jacob. He bends right into his personal space, close enough so that Jacob can feel air fan over his skin in the pattern of Sangyeon’s breathing.

“You told us you’re researching tales and legends for your thesis, right?” He asks in a low voice, nearly inaudible over the noise around them. Jacob nods, feeling completely breathless. “My friends and I… we’re also fans of these stories, if you will.”

Taking a deep breath, Jacob finally turns fully towards him. He’s close enough to be able to see specks of gold in Sangyeon’s deep brown eyes, could count his long, pretty lashes if he wanted to. He quirks a brow, urging him on wordlessly.

“My parents used to tell me this story,” he continues, still as quiet as before. “About men praying to the moon. About them spilling their blood under her brightest light.” He turns even quieter then. “About them cursing their whole bloodline to be bound to their place of bloodshed in exchange for something greater.”

Jacob is holding his breath, drinking in every word eagerly, connecting it to the stories he read about before. “Something greater?” He asks, his voice high pitched, making Sangyeon smile cutely before turning back to a more serious expression again.

“Wolves, Jacob. They needed to feed their families, protect their people. And the moon granted them the form of the most powerful of her children. Not the tide, not the dreams… she allowed them to become wolves whenever they wanted, and once every month for a full night, to celebrate her wholly.”

Jacob’s fingers are trembling with a need to type all of this down, to take notes and see if he can find anything about it online. He tries to calm himself first, setting up what he hopes is a more normal voice. “How do your parents… where did they get this from? Are there books? Anything I can quote, I can use?”

Sangyeon rolls his eyes but there is undeniable fondness in them. “You scholars and your books. Always need everything written down, everything vulnerable and open for everyone to see,” he sighs, albeit with a smile playing on his lips. “Sunwoo is in charge of the safekeeping of our tales… they’re usually kept secret but I’m sure I can pull some strings so you can take a look…”

Ready to jump Sangyeon and thank him with a hug, Jacob stops himself when he realizes the meaning behind Sangyeon’s words. His eyes flit to the table in the corner, to Sunwoo who’s sitting there and laughing about something.

“W-wait, your tales?” He asks, looking back at Sangyeon. “Do you mean the story your family told you… do you mean it was passed down through generations before them?”

Nodding, Sangyeon points at the table his friends are sitting around. “All of our families carry one or another story like this. We’re all descendants of these first men. The history of this town is woven directly into our blood.”

“This is surreal,” Jacob whispers. “How much luck can I have finding you here. This is the best thing that could’ve happened to me.”

A shadow flits over Sangyeon’s face, but it’s gone as quick as it came, making Jacob think that maybe he imagined it in the first place.

“Maybe it’s fate,” Sangyeon replies pensively and his eyes are dark and knowing.

-

Village kids, Jacob finds, can drink with the power of three city people, and flirt with the intent of ten.

After spending the rest of the evening with the group and getting to know them better, Sangyeon even brings Jacob up to his door, kissing him on the cheek before leaving. A _kiss_ on the _cheek_. Jacob feels like it’s the most romantic gesture someone did for him ever since that guy from his gender studies class complimented him on the taste of his cum.

But it doesn’t stop there, because the next day, after he texts Sangyeon so the other has his number as well, he barely gets any work done for his thesis because he can’t quite put his phone out of his hands.

Sangyeon is just so easy to talk to, even over text, with occasional seven-minute voice notes in between. It makes Jacob’s heart stutter a little, that he already feels so infatuated with someone he has barely known a few days.

But it’s not unwelcome either. He hasn’t had a crush in a while and, if he were to quote Kevin, he’s always been a little too careful with taking things slowly. _If things fit they fit, no need to dance around another for three years_ , his best friend told him once.

Maybe he’s right with that, even if it fills Jacob with as much nerves as it does with excitement.

He’s just on a skype call with Kevin, when Sangyeon texts him again with an abundance of cute stickers and smiles. Jacob tries to hide it, but his best friend knows him too well, even through the out of focus blur of his laptop camera.

“Is that your country boy?” He asks excitedly, crowding closer to his own camera, as if that would bring him _actually_ closer to Jacob. “Come on, what did he text you? Don’t be so secretive with me Mr. Bae.”

Jacob reads over the message a few times, feeling a blush sit hotly under his skin. “He asks if I want to join him and his friends this weekend. They’re holding a campfire celebration for the summer solstice.”

“Oh my gosh, look at you _go_ , turning into a little country boy yourself, Jakie. I _love_ it.” Kevin yells excitedly, voice crackling through the horrible speakers of Jacob’s laptop. He quickly shakes his head.

“I can’t go, right? It’s too soon, like a campfire? At night? That’s so… so…”

“Romantic?” Kevin jumps in, rolling his eyes. “And what if it is? Worst case, you’ll get some mediocre country boy dick, because from what you told me, this guy will not be anything less than mediocre.”

Humming, Jacob let’s his head roll back. “And best case?” He asks with a small voice.

“You’ll get _great_ country boy dick and score yourself a date on the way.”

“Shouldn’t it be the other way around? First the date, then the dick?” Jacob sighs, his head still hanging over the back of his chair.

Kevin sighs exaggeratedly. “Jakie, in _your_ world maybe. But believe me, it can work out this way too, very well actually.”

“Oh yeah? Like it did for you?” Jacob teases, finally sitting up straight to look back at Kevin.

His best friend flicks him a middle finger through the camera. “Ha ha, very funny, Kevin and his lack of dating luck… you know what? Maybe I should visit you and show you how to get some country boy dick.”

It’s just meant as a joke and Jacob _knows_ that, but he feels something sour come up in the back of his throat at the thought of losing Sangyeon to someone else, which _wow_ , that sounds melodramatic. _Jacob, get your shit together_.

“Okay, so how do I acquire the country d?” He asks, holding his hands out in front of him with his palms up. “Got spare wisdom for me, Keb?”

Kevin taps his chin a few times, acting like he’s oh so deep in thought. “Well first off, you’ll wear something thin, so he has to lend you his jacket.”

Giggling, Jacob snaps his fingers and flicks a non-existent strand of long hair over his shoulder. “Already did that, one step in front of you Moon,” he sneers jokingly, making Kevin groan.

“Okay, Mr. Date-master, since you obviously don’t need my help…” he moves forward, acting as if he’s about to end the call but Jacob falls for it.

“Kevin, don’t go,” he says with a pout. “I really, really need your wisdom.”

“Well, if you beg so nicely,” Kevin quickly replies with a grin. “Ask him if he or his friends can bring a guitar to the campfire… you’ll bewitch him with your magical voice and talented fingers… hopefully in more ways than one.”

Jacob groans but grabs his phone anyway, already sending Sangyeon a positive reply and asking him if he can somehow bring a guitar.

Kevin really always knows just what Jacob needs. Even if he’s annoying like… eighty percent of the time, Jacob doesn’t know what he’d do without him.

-

Under the growing sickle of the moon, smoke drawing magical pictures into the air, Sangyeon’s voice mends with Younghoon’s to tell stories of mystery and legend, to Sunwoo and Juyeon singing chants in a language Jacob never heard before, that feels familiar from his dream.

_There’s a lighting out, far out in the forest. Not quite in the mountains but also not completely in the valley, not too deep so the children couldn’t go there, but still not close enough to be a convenient walk, a place to go often._

_No, the lighting is for dark nights and foggy days only. For heavy stones to be carried there and for fires to be lit above them. For men and women to sing and children to dance and then, once the youngest ones and the oldest, the weak and ignorant leave, that’s when the others stay there._

_They come on silent soles and with bare bodies, no matter the temperature, no matter if it rains or snows or if the floor is still heated up from a scorching sun that only set a short while before._

_They come and once more they sing and they dance and they melt into each other, with their heads to the sky and they beg for blessings. With sharpened stones pressing into their sweaty skin they let red drip onto stone and forest ground, and they ask the moon, they ask her for guidance and for help, like so many people do all over the world._

_And the moon is there, and she listens, but rarely does she bless._

_But during one fateful night, she particularly enjoyed the sight she saw, of those naked people dancing and living, bleeding just for her. Somewhere not far off, just much higher there were less naked ones doing just the same, on all fours and with branches stuck in their fur they turned to the sky and they sang and it mended into one with the chants of the humans._

_That night, the moon listened, and she connected them forever. For those wondrous people to run alongside those they fear and admire all the same, for them to take that form whenever they need, for whatever they might want._

_But once a month during a night just like this, with the moon at her brightest, she will take that choice from them. And she’ll watch how they beg and pray, but not like they do as humans, no. She’ll watch them bite and scratch and grip, turn up to her and howl in voices and shapes so unlike their own, they’ll barely recognize themselves anymore._

_Because that’s her power, isn’t it? To give and in turn to take, whatever she wants, out of the goodwill of herself and only because she found a liking. And for a long time, this will be enough. She will keep watching over them, and over their children and children’s children and she’ll always take._

Jacob feels mindless when the stories around the fire turn into whispers and those into insignificant smalltalk. He looks up at the moon, not full quite yet but also not too far off, and breathes her in along with the burning smoke and icy air of the night.

Someone settles down next to him and wraps a blanket around his shoulders. Jacob doesn’t need to look to know who it is, so he doesn’t.

“Either you’re thinking a lot, or you’re not thinking at all, I can’t quite tell,” Sangyeon says with a voice raspy from smoke and telling tales without breaks.

Jacob hums, but before he can even think of what to reply, what of these options even is the truth, a sound builds up in the distance, quiet and far, far away, interrupted by the crackle of fire, but audible nonetheless. Audible and so incredibly fitting.

Somewhere in the mountains, wolves are beginning to howl, one after the other, and at once all conversations around the fire die down and everyone just seems to listen. Jacob closes his eyes, trying to concentrate on the sound, so unfamiliar in nature, so much more _real_ here, than in all the movies he’s heard it in before.

After a minute or so – Jacob wouldn’t know – Sangyeon slips underneath the blanket and slides right up to him, his warm body heating Jacob’s cold one up so easily.

He can feel Sangyeon drop his head on his shoulder, his hair tickling the skin on Jacob’s cheek as it moves with the slight breeze.

“Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make,” he hums softly, followed by an even gentler chuckle. Jacob turns his head to him and Sangyeon tilts his face up so he can look right back, the reflection of the fire flickering in his eyes.

“Quoting Bram Stoker at me?” Jacob asks with a small smile.

Sangyeon smiles back. “Maybe so… but just listen. Listen to their voices, isn’t it wonderful?” He whispers and Jacob can’t help but close his eyes again, listening even more intently as the howls die out, only to pick up even further away.

“Makes you think that the stories are all true, right?” Sangyeon asks and it’s quiet enough to make Jacob think that it wasn’t even meant for him in the first place.

He answers anyway, a hum only to voice his thoughts. “ _Hmm_ , the stories are all true…”

Sangyeon shifts next to him and the weight of his head is lifted off of Jacob’s shoulder. He’s still listening, still sitting there with his eyes closed, so the lips pressing against his own come unexpected, but not really as a surprise.

It’s just a short, fleeting touch but it leaves Jacob’s skin tingling and his heart doing that weird thing again, where a piece just slots into place, that he wasn’t aware was missing before.

He’s the one to reach out to pull Sangyeon back in and they kiss until the wolves stop howling in the back and the others slowly begin to chat again. Only when Sunwoo calls out for Sangyeon do they part, flushed and shy, sitting back at a safe distance that suggests that nothing ever happened between them.

“I didn’t bring the guitar for nothing, did I?” Sunwoo is saying loudly, picking the worn instrument up from the blanket he’s sitting on and handing it over to Jacob. “We want to hear you sing, city boy, we’re expecting big things.”

Somehow, Jacob manages to stop his fingers from trembling when he takes the guitar and begins playing, and as the fire slowly dies down, he thinks he understands those people in the tale. He understands the magic they felt underneath the moon’s light.

-

Despite all of Kevin’s tips and tricks, Jacob doesn’t get country boy dick that night, but surprisingly, he feels more than okay with that. Sangyeon walks him home again and just like the evening before he kisses him on the cheek, the once on the mouth when Jacob pulls him in with a deliberate hand on his chin.

When Jacob lies down after writing down all the stories he heard around the fire, he enjoys the way his heart beats so aggressively in his chest. If they would’ve taken it further that night, if they simply would’ve fucked like there’s nothing more than mutual attraction between them, Jacob is sure he wouldn’t feel that youthful giddiness, that excitement for many days of flirting to come.

Still, he can’t quite shut his brain up, even though his body is heavy with exhaustion. There’s just so much happening all at once, the fright still fresh in Jacob’s memory, from the attack of the giant wolf. Then all the new friends he’s making, the relentless flirting. And under it all the thirst to learn more, to find out if maybe behind all the legends there’s a spark of truth.

Pulling the blanket over his head, Jacob is engulfed by complete darkness and the warmth going out from his own body. He’s still wearing the hoodie he wore to the campfire, only put on sleeping pants when he got home, and the deep scent of smoke and ashes fills out the space.

It clouds his mind and the stories Jacob can’t quite stop thinking about grow even louder, making him imagine all those men and women lighting up fires and chanting their deepest desires out into the night, stripping of all clothes to dance together and be in their most primal, right under the moonlight.

He pulls the fabric closer to his nose and breathes in deep, thinks of skin tearing and bones cracking, of fur growing along with teeth and claws. Of wolves standing where men just celebrated. On all fours, they run and play, and they hunt. And they mount and bite each other before turning up to the moon and chanting their own songs.

Jacob thinks of the eyes he felt on him every time he went into the forest, of the glinting orbs he saw behind branches and leaves, a mass of black. He even thinks of that deep, earth rumbling growl he heard before the beast attacked him, just that the one in his imagination has lighter fur, soft brown and deep eyes that seem eerily familiar.

Goosebumps rise on Jacob’s skin, but he doesn’t shut the thoughts off, instead embraces them and pushes a hand under the fabric of his pants, taking his hard cock into his hands while desperately biting down on the fabric of his hoodie.

He imagines the wolf – the unfamiliar yet not unfamiliar at all brown one – coming closer and closer, forcing Jacob to walk backwards until he oh so inconveniently trips over a stone and falls onto his back.

Jacob can hear wet panting in his head, can see long teeth glint in the beast’s opened mouth as more dark growls escape it while it comes even closer, stepping over Jacob’s fragile, tiny human body, giant paws on both sides of his head.

He has nowhere to escape like this, and with only a tight grip around the tip of his cock Jacob comes into his pants, whimpering pathetically around the fabric in his mouth as white spots begin to dance behind his lids.

A voice lights up in the back of his mind, melodic and familiar, like Sangyeon is right there to moan with him.

-

Two days later, Sangyeon texts Jacob that he managed to get Sunwoo to let him into the archives – where they keep all the books and relics handed down by their ancestors – and he can come by in the evening if he’s still interested.

The day before, the two met up to hike up to the lighting together, Sangyeon showing Jacob a direct path to it that’s still not necessarily safe, but better than the random route he took himself. He didn’t feel watched at any point during the hike, making him think that maybe he imagined it all along.

Sangyeon explained a lot of things on the way, about the settlement and how it had to move countless of times over the centuries, until it ended up where now the town is standing. About magic and religion and all kinds of things.

He was very… well, say it as it is, he was very _handsy_ too, much more so than before, helping Jacob over sticks and stones by wrapping his arms around him and basically picking him up. Hugging him at random times and pressing his nose into Jacob’s neck, like he can’t hold back from drinking in his scent.

Jacob didn’t mind it one bit. Actually, he indulged the other in it a little, playing up his role of damsel in distress when he had to jump over little brooks, or grabbing Sangyeon’s hands when the ground turned the tiniest bit uneven.

It was just another layer to their game of flirting, and yet, it was all they did that day. They didn’t even kiss again, not at the lighting, where Sangyeon seems to get awfully flustered, and not on the way back either, even when they stopped to take pictures or sit down for snack breaks.

Only at the door, Sangyeon kissed Jacob, a peck on the cheek, but just like it did every time before, it makes the other’s heart beat wildly in his chest and his cheeks flame from the simple gesture.

Maybe that’s why Jacob eagerly accepts the offer of coming by just a little later to check out the archive. He wants to see Sangyeon and he wants to be close to him, it’s like a weird itch sitting under his skin, that won’t go away unless he’s with the other.

That’s why it’s just the slightest bit disappointing – aka _very_ disappointing – when Sangyeon sends Jacob the directions to the archive and tells him he’s otherwise occupied and sadly can’t make it to see him.

When Jacob eventually makes his way to the old building, he’s surprised to find a note stuck to the door, telling him that he can just go in alone in cute letters and with smileys all around it. It’s signed by Sunwoo, making Jacob wonder how Sangyeon got him to leave the archive so readily open for Jacob. He’ll have to ask him about it.

Behind the door, a steep wooden staircase leads up into a dark, dusty room. The walls are filled with bookcases from floor to ceiling and in the middle, there are tables and display cases with all kinds of keepsakes underneath.

Jacob feels like a kid just having gotten the biggest Christmas present ever, immediately taking pictures of some of the displayed pieces and skimming through the bookcases. He doesn’t dare touch most of the books there, bound in leather and looking fragile from time sitting heavy on them.

Most don’t have an inscription, but those that do are often in runes more so than letters and Jacob quickly takes out the notebook he brought to scribble them down, sure to ask Sunwoo about them at some point.

The ones that he can read seem more modern, but still older than anything his college library would have to offer. He looks through a few of those, mostly about plants and their healing powers, one even about recipes for tinctures and potions.

He spends a good hour just on one wall, still alone, but he doesn’t even notice how quickly time passes as he looks through everything.

It’s almost a wonder how he only notices a giant leather-bound book then. It seems almost too obviously placed to be coincidental, right on a small stand under a bulb hanging from the ceiling. The book is opened to reveal worn, yellow pages, but what really grasps Jacob’s attention is what’s drawn in it in brown ink.

It’s the same circular moon calendar he has hanging on his keyring, the same one from the door of the bar. Jacob takes his keys out just to make sure and it is nearly an exact replica of the illustration, only that the ink drawing is much more detailed.

There are symbols next to each moon phase, some which Jacob can guess the meaning of, but he still takes a picture to make sure to remember to ask about it later. He doesn’t want to overstay his welcome, even if no one is there with him, so he gently turns the pages and takes pictures of the handwritten notes, only picking up sentences here and there, hardly comprehendible in his contemporary language.

He’ll need time to pull the pictures up and really understand the meaning of what’s written down, but even without doing so right then and there, Jacob knows he stumbled over something truly special.

One page in particular seems to call for Jacob, as if it’s wanting him to see and read. It feels almost warm as he grazes his hand over the delicate drawing of two wolves, shame travelling hotly into his cheeks when he notices the details in it and what he’s actually looking at.

When he’s sure he photographed enough to keep him up for a week trying to make sense of it all, Jacob puts everything back to how it was and leaves the archive, surprised to find pure darkness outside.

He feels fear creep up his neck on the short walk through a strip of forest to get back to the town, but nothing stirs around him and no eyes glint in the darkness. It should make Jacob feel calmer and less scared, but instead he feels lonely and cold, shivering all over until he’s back in the safety of his home.

Jacob calls Kevin while he uploads the photos from his phone to his laptop and begins sorting them into different categories. He feels too tired to really get into it, but he can’t stop thinking about that one page in particular that urged him to skip pages over pages to get to it.

Kevin is studying himself, so their talking is mostly made up of small groans and little encouragements here and there, else just staying quiet but on call, enjoying the digital presence of each other. Jacob dearly hopes however, that Kevin can’t hear his breath hitch when he begins to decipher the page that piqued his interest.

It is written like a diary, a first-person perspective of someone having lived decades, maybe over a century before Jacob. Out of context, Jacob can only pick out that it must be a young woman, as she talks about yet having to find _the one who is bonded to her_.

The particular entry is about a night of a full moon sometime in the scorching heat of summer, and Jacob recognizes parts of it from the tales he heard around the fire a few evenings before. About everyone meeting up in one spot to dance and sing, but then closer to evening the young ones would go back to their grounds.

She writes about how it’s her first time being a part of the full moon ritual, how her blood felt like it was boiling in her veins and she eagerly stripped of all clothes right as the sun set. Without knowing how, or why, she began running over sticks and stones and at some point, naked soles turned into paws and her body broke apart to be built anew stronger and bigger.

There was insatiable hunger in her, she describes, and he hunted down a deer before following the calls of the night until she wasn’t the only wolf there, not by a long shot. She remembers growling and teeth gripping her fur, forcing her to her knees and then she remembers another wolf mounting her, holding her steady by the neck with a strong bite.

The drawing that brought a flush to Jacob’s cheeks earlier is of that night, to keep the fragile memories safe as she writes how they begin to slip away from her as time progresses. Jacob feels even hotter now, like he just read something that wasn’t meant for him to see. Well, it _wasn’t_ for him. It was for her only, and then for her children and children’s children, but certainly not for him.

With a loud noise, he snaps his laptop shut and flings himself onto his bed, burying his head in the pillow before laying down on it, his phone on his side so he can continue speaking to Kevin, or well being with Kevin, in the only way they can.

Jacob can hear a yawn on the other end of the line, followed by a chuckle. “I’m just looking out of my window,” Kevin says amusedly. “And the crows are having a party on the other roof. I don’t know what they’re doing, but damn I wish I was one of them.”

It makes Jacob smile, even though his heart won’t quite calm down after what he read. “I saw crows the other day too, didn’t I send you the pic?” He asks, already unlocking his phone to pull up Kevin’s chat, but sure enough there’s no picture of crows.

“ _Hmm_ , I don’t think you did? I want to see it though, along with your pretty face.”

Groaning, Jacob takes a quick selfie, making sure to look as unflattering as possible, and sends it to Kevin, before opening his gallery to scroll through the dozens of pictures of books and then of nature to hopefully find the one he’s searching for.

His breath hitches a little when he finds it, remembering what happened the day he took it. “I remember why I didn’t send you the pic,” Jacob says breathlessly, interrupting Kevin complimenting him on his double chin. “It was the day I lost my phone in the woods…”

“The day that wolf- The day you got attacked?” Kevin asks with a gasp, but Jacob doesn’t answer. “Jakie? You still there?”

Jacob feels his mouth go dry when he opens the picture and he doesn’t answer, but he has enough control over his body left to forward the picture to Kevin. At the same time as he zooms in on the picture, he hears a shocked yelp on the other line.

“ _What the fuck_ ,” Kevin whispers. “What the actual fucking fuck, Jacob? Tell me that’s photoshopped. Tell me that’s not real.”

Gulping, Jacob barely gets a word out. “It’s not.”

In the picture, right behind the crows happily picking at the dead fish, a creature is clearly visible behind the bushes. His phone camera must’ve done a better job at picking apart the darkness than Jacob’s eyes, because where he could only suspect a shadowy figure, it is clearly visible on the photograph.

A giant, black wolf is cowering in the thicket, ears pulled to the side and his eyes directly on the camera, directly on Jacob. White hot fear trickles down Jacob’s back.

His phone stays quiet, no calming words, no explanations as to how this must be some sort of hallucination, a joke, anything to prove that it isn’t real. Clearly lost for words, Kevin takes a long time until he speaks up, and it’s nowhere close to comforting.

“Is that your country boy?” he asks after minutes pass, but his voice doesn’t quite carry the joke.

Kevin is often right, and Jacob knows that very well. But this once, he’s not sure if he wants him to be.

-

Jacob doesn’t leave his room the next day and he doesn’t check his phone until late in the afternoon. He’s busy trying to make sense of it, trying to combine what he knows, what he’s completely sure of from years of studying in a very mundane, very much not supernatural environment, with what he’s currently learning about right here.

The legends were supposed to be just that, where supposed to stay stories that developed over time, with myths and countless beliefs woven into it, changed as they were passed down over generations. It was supposed to be that, a thing to look at and analyse and write a thesis about. Nothing more. Nothing so… so real and scary.

Jacob is scared. He’s terrified. Even if the wolf that attacked him didn’t hurt him, didn’t kill him, it still followed him through the forest and tore his clothes apart, growled at him like it was ready to eat him alive.

If that wolf was really a human, if it was _Sangyeon_ who sparked pure panic in Jacob. He doubts he’d be able to come to terms with that.

To make it even worse, the more Jacob thinks about it, the more it makes _sense_. Sangyeon told him on the first evening how interested him and the others were in the folklore of the place, unveiled later on how their families are descendants of the originators of those myths. Convenient, isn’t it?

Then, when Jacob lost his phone running away from _a fucking giant wolf_ Juyeon found it in the forest and gave it to Sangyeon. It might just be a coincidence… but what a crazy one it would be.

And then, to make matters worse, everything Jacob saw in the archive only points further in the direction of the legends being true. Hell, he found what can basically be described as a decades old diary entry about someone turning into a wolf for the first time, and getting her brains fucked out in the process.

Really, Jacob feels terrified and he should probably turn his back on his stupid thesis and go back to the comfort and safety that awaits him back home. And yet… when he finally picks up his phone and reads through his notifications, his idiot heart betrays him and skips a beat when he sees Sangyeon’s name.

He sent him a few short messages through the day, if Jacob found a few usable things in the archive, if he’s doing okay and if he’s going to the bar in the evening. Just as he’s going through the messages, a new one pops up, as if Sangyeon knew Jacob finally checked his phone.

_You’ll see your first full moon here in a few days. It’s a wonderful sight._

If Jacob wouldn’t have just had the biggest epiphany of his life, he would’ve taken it as a sweet little message, maybe even an invitation to meet up and look at the moon together. But now… now it makes a little too much sense for Sangyeon to ask, especially with what Jacob read about the full moon ritual.

He doesn’t answer though and instead mutes Sangyeon’s chat. It’s too much for Jacob right now. He has to take a step back, to get some space and think everything through. He thinks he deserves as much, even if it means distancing himself from Sangyeon for that to work.

It stings deep in his chest. As if his heart already decided over Jacob’s fate.

-

Jacob’s heart decided and so did he.

It’s quite a far shot, but it’s one he’s willing to take as he makes his way into the forest, on the path to the lighting that Sangyeon showed him. The sun is just setting and tinting the forest into magical oranges and pinks, warm shades in contrast to the icy blue it will be dipped in soon enough.

To make sure he definitely got it right, Jacob checked about a dozen times for the day of the next full moon. If he’s trying something so utterly reckless, he would better be doing it on the right day. Still, he gave Kevin a heads up that if he didn’t message him by the next morning, he has to call both Sangyeon and Jacob’s landlord so they can start a search for him.

Yeah, the more Jacob thinks of it, the more his decision seems utterly stupid. But there’s no chance he’s turning back now, not when he’s so _close_ and when his blood is thrumming with excitement at just the _chance_ of his plan coming to fruition.

He showered earlier that day, but didn’t use any scented products, remembering just how much Sangyeon loves Jacob’s scent without it being falsified by strong perfumes. It’s just another thing that deepened his suspicion that the wolf thing… that it has to be true. An excited shudder runs over his skin.

He’s only clad in a T-shirt and shorts, knowing that if what he read about full moon nights, about them being a time for _mating_ rituals, he’ll lose them soon enough.

He prepared himself too, thoroughly, because while he’s ready for something rough, something certainly out of the norm, he doesn’t want to hurt himself too bad in the process. Only enough for a fun time for him and hopefully for Sangyeon too.

With hopeful thoughts on the forefront of his mind, Jacob stops to watch the moon travel up over the edge of the mountains, the clear sky making her glow seem so incredibly bright, Jacob isn’t sure he ever saw a full moon this clear.

Apparently, he isn’t the only one watching the scene, because in the distance a song picks up, making the hairs on his neck stand straight as it turns louder and louder, echoing around him through the woods.

With an excited yelp, Jacob begins to run, thinking back to the part of the leather-bound book he read again and again over the last few days. The woman who wrote it, she ran too, despite not knowing what will happen she simply let her instincts take over.

Jacob might not be of that same descent, and he might not ever have done much to go out of the ways he knows, but he sure as hell is ready to try. He feels his face erupt in a smile and runs even quicker, ripping his shirt off on the way just because he can.

There’s something like an electric current running over his skin before he can even hear the thunder of heavy paws coming closer from behind him. Jacob is very close to the lighting, he can see the trees open up just a few metres in front of him, so he speeds up just a bit more, even though his lungs are burning and his muscles are aching, to break through the thicket before the wolf that’s so much faster than him.

He feels like he should collapse and regain some of his powers, but instead he stops somewhere in the middle, next to the many stones collected there and looks up at the moon, bringing up all leftover power he has to scream at the top of his lungs.

Jacob doesn’t hear the wolf break through the trees over the sound of his own voice, but he can hear it chime in, snapping him out of it and when he looks to his right, he’s finally able to see his chaser in its full form.

It’s not the black wolf he’s feared ever since he caught a glimpse of it behind branches and leaves, not the red one he thought he saw a sliver of. No, it’s a brown one, just like the one he imagined the night after the solstice fire, the one with deep brown eyes, the one he now knows deep in his heart to be Sangyeon.

He doesn’t know how, or why, but he _knows_ that it’s Sangyeon, and it fills him with pure happiness.

Sangyeon must’ve noticed his gaze, because he soon ends his call and turns to Jacob, one leg pulled up to his torso, his head cocking to the side as if he can’t quite believe Jacob is standing there so openly, not running, not scared, just _waiting_ for him.

Jacob is panting from exertion, but he’s smiling, feeling positively out of his mind. He could probably fall to his knees right now and Sangyeon would come over, knowing perfectly what to do. Instead, he skips a few more steps backwards, turns around himself once and laughs.

“Catch me!” Jacob yells at the top of his lungs. “Catch me if you can!”

He can hear some sort of happy yip behind him but doesn’t look back as he runs as fast as his tired legs allow him, no real goal in sight but the other side of the lighting.

Jacob has no chance at all.

He barely gets half of the way before he can feel Sangyeon approach him from behind, all heavy paws and hot breath and Jacob has half a mind to brace for impact right before it happens. A soft flank pushes into his back and he tumbles to the soft ground, rolling over himself a few times and he knows he’ll have scratches and bruises after the night, but it’s playful more so than violent.

Sangyeon jumps after him, tumbling to the ground as well and rolling around like a puppy, nearly suffocating Jacob under thick fur and his heavy body, but Jacob can’t help but laugh giddily, hands reaching out to rake them over Sangyeon, fingers shivering against him.

They end up with their heads pushed together, Sangyeon’s giant one next to Jacob’s, their foreheads connected, and Jacob has never felt filled with more love. Something about this is so… so _right_. He can’t explain where it comes from and why, why he found it here, but this is _it_ , in a way not a lot has been that for him.

But before he can catch his breath and say that out loud, a wolf starts howling somewhere behind them, not too far off and it makes Sangyeon jump to his feet, a growl being birthed deep in his chest as he glowers into the direction of the sound.

He steps over Jacob, baring his teeth when the howling stops. Jacob can’t see through the darkness, but he crawls behind Sangyeon when the other stands up as tall as he can, intimidating whoever decided to come this close.

Jacob nearly expects him to lurch forward and fight right then and there, but Sangyeon only growls, appearing to grow taller and taller until with a pitiful whine and the rustle of leaves the other wolf leaves into the night.

When Sangyeon turns around and looks at Jacob again, the human feels himself shudder from the intensity in his eyes and he easily imitates what he read in the book he found in the archive. On all fours he bends down until his head is nearly pressed to the floor, only high enough to keep his eyes on Sangyeon.

The wolf seems taken aback for a second, his ears twitching before he shakes himself out of it, beginning to circle Jacob and looking him up and down.

Jacob is embarrassed by how hard he is, how his skin is so hot despite the cool evening air. Sangyeon must know what he’s doing to him, can probably smell it in the air. It’s probably the complete opposite from how he got to know Jacob, sweet and shy, innocent.

Now he’s baring himself for the wolf on the forest floor, right under the moonlight, so incredibly willing. But Sangyeon doesn’t come closer, only keeps circling Jacob torturously slow. Maybe he’s reluctant still, worried that Jacob doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into.

“Come _on_ , Sangyeon,” Jacob whines, to show him that he’s _very_ aware of what’s to happen. “Stop torturing me and _mount_ me. I want you so fucking bad.” He doesn’t quite know where the courage to say these things is coming from, but it only serves to make himself even more needy.

Sangyeon growls even deeper than he did earlier, and before Jacob can turn his head to look at him over his shoulder he feels something nudge at the back of his thighs, urging him to perk his ass up higher before teeth and claws begin to grip and pulls at his shorts.

Cold air hits Jacob’s skin and a flush rises hotly all over his body. He pushes his head into his forearms, biting down to whimper against his skin when Sangyeon’s cold nose bumps against his lower back, his tongue lapping out and over Jacob.

_Oh god_ , Jacob didn’t think of this.

Sure, he prepped himself, but he didn’t think of bringing lube with him and of course the only way to do it would be like this. At least Sangyeon’s tongue is much, _much_ wetter than his would be, almost tickling but not quite and only tearing more embarrassing sounds out of Jacob’s throat.

He presses back against Sangyeon, trying to show him that he likes it, that he’s still up for it. He knows Sangyeon would stop at any point, even at his most animalistic. It’s one of those truths Jacob knows deep in his soul from that strange connection he shared with Sangyeon since day one.

Jacob thinks he could come like this and he even gets ready to, spreading his legs a little further to reach one hand underneath himself and grab his cock, but when he looks between his thighs, seeing Sangyeon’s hind legs in dim shades of greys, his heart kind of stutters when he sees something _else_ there, hard and heavy and _big_.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he curses, feeling himself clench from desperate need. “Sangyeon, what the _fuck_ , you really think you will fit? I hope I can take you. I want to take you so fucking _bad_.”

Sangyeon all but whimpers against him, pulling back to press his head against Jacob’s back, rubbing himself all over him as if he’s shy, even in this form. Jacob crawls backwards until he feels himself completely trapped under Sangyeon, completely engulfed by him.

He can feel wetness drip down his legs in masses and when he finally nudges against Sangyeon’s cock, Jacob can feel Sangyeon arch up all around him, rutting himself further over Jacob in the process.

Now that Jacob can feel him, it doesn’t feel as impossible as he first thought. He’s taken big things before, mostly alone in his room with dildos he was ashamed of ordering, dragon eggs and knotted ones that could fill him up. It makes him shudder when he thinks of it, wonder if-

“S-Sangyeon, will you knot me? Is that how it works?” He asks breathlessly. “Will you please knot me?”

Jacob can feel teeth on his neck as Sangyeon brings himself into position, slipping off of the wetness all around Jacob. The human reaches his hand down further, grasping Sangyeon’s length, hot and heavy in his grasp and guiding it forward, the tip easily catching on his rim.

The human breathes in and relaxes his muscles when Sangyeon breaches him surprisingly carefully, his teeth never leaving Jacob’s neck, but not biting down hard enough to draw blood. Jacob’s hand drops limply to the floor, a high whine leaving his mouth as he’s slowly being forced to take more and more of Sangyeon.

He can’t be far in when he already pulls back, making Jacob gasp and claw at the ground, nails digging into the dirt, _begging_ to be filled again which the wolf gladly follows in tiny thrusts, out and in, a little further each time.

It’s unlike any sex Jacob ever had before, which granted, was mostly very human in its ways, certainly never like this, desperate and needy out in the open. He doubts he’ll be able to go back to the soft and predictable from before, but really, Sangyeon hasn’t even really _started_ fucking him yet, still only getting used to feeling himself, careful to not hurt Jacob, but still needy in his movements.

The further he gets, the more Jacob begins to struggle and writhe, barely keeping himself up on his trembling legs until Sangyeon _finally_ slips in fully, spearing him open and basically forcing him to take and stay in a somewhat pushed up position.

Whimpering, Jacob brokenly gasps Sangyeon’s name, barely able to keep control over his tongue, drooling all over his arm.

“S-so full, oh god, oh _fuck_ , Sangyeon,” he whines, wriggling his hips to get used to the foreign shape. “You feel so good, so g-good, I hope it’s as good for you.”

Sangyeon releases Jacob’s skin and licks over it, soft noises erupting from his throat and seeping right through to Jacob’s heart, calming him down where he feels like he’s losing his grasp on reality. He takes a few deep breathes, knowing it must be a strain for the wolf to hold back, to not give into his instincts.

“Do it,” Jacob moans wetly. “I can take it. I promise I’ll take it.”

With another growl, Sangyeon pushes himself up on all fours, seemingly satisfied with Jacob being able to form words enough so to urge him on. Jacob can barely feel his fingers anymore when Sangyeon pulls out and fucks back in in a sudden swift movement, shuffling him forward on the filthy ground.

He can’t help but cry out as he’s jostled with powerful thrusts, feeling like he’s slowly losing all control over himself, only left a moaning, drooling mess, with tears slowly but surely making it out from under closed lids.

Sangyeon is panting above Jacob, pawing and nipping at his skin wherever he can, draping himself over him to get the best angle to bury himself deep, so deep inside of the human, fucking him like he’s more than that, like he can take it like another wolf.

Breathlessly, Jacob nearly chokes on his spit as he tries to moan out how good it feels, how full he feels because of Sangyeon, how he’ll be _ruined_ for anyone else. It spurs the wolf on, his movements turning frantic, Jacob’s body barely keeping up as he’s pushed beyond his limits.

Jacob is painfully hard, but he has no power left in him to wrap a hand around himself and give him that last little push of pleasure. Just a moment later he realizes he might not need that, a whine leaving Sangyeon as his thrusts begin to stutter, something _bigger_ stuffing into Jacob’s hole with the next thrust, right at the base of Sangyeon’s cock.

Drool drips over Jacob’s neck but he can’t find it in him too care, not as his eyes roll back into his head and his whole body goes limp, melting to take and take and _take_. He takes Sangyeon wholly and fully and then adapts to accept even more, thrusts turning shallow as Sangyeon’s knot grows and spreads Jacob further than he ever was.

With a last shallow thrust, Sangyeon pushes in fully, a stab of pain running up Jacob’s spine that makes him suck in a breath of cold air, a pitiful whimper escaping into the night.

“Y-you coming?” He asks, barely able to form words, too much tongue in his mouth, too wet, too gone. “Come one, ‘yeon, come for me, make me feel even fuller.”

With something akin to a bark Sangyeon does, his whole body arching as Jacob is filled up. Warmth fills him even further, he can feel it in places he didn’t even think he _could_ feel and it’s what sends him over the edge too, his stomach clenching tightly as his cock jumps, shooting ropes of cum against the forest floor.

Jacob cries out when his muscles begin to burn from oversensitivity, as if they only now register the exhaustion of running through the forest, followed by the most his body ever took. He moans out something that he hopes sounds like praise, like a thank you, feeling another wave of cum pumped into him before darkness engulfs him fully and his body turns deliciously numb.

-

Jacob wakes up engulfed in warmth, but _god_ does he hurt. Everything aches, every little movement he makes as he slowly feels the fog leave his brain. He can smell the soothing scent of herbs, see light flicker through closed lids and it takes all of his power to open them and take in his surroundings.

He’s laying right in front of a fireplace, a thick blanket wrapped around him and on the wooden table in front of him he can see a steaming cup of tea, the leaves sitting in a filter in it. Furrowing his brows, Jacob tries to sit up, but hisses when pain shoots up his back, white dots dancing in his vision.

“Oh no, you stay right where you are,” a soft voice says, and Jacob can hear the creak of a chair being pushed backwards before someone comes around the couch he’s laying on. He never saw the woman before, but she almost looks ethereal with the fire casting a glow around her body.

“W-where am I?” He asks and his voice sounds like he ate coal right out of an oven.

“Sangyeon called out for help, so I brought you here to care for you,” she says with a soft smile, placing her hand on Jacob’s forehead before nodding happily. “I’m Lana, by the way. You’re Jacob, right?”

“Y-yeah, how do you-“

“Here, drink something,” she interrupts, holding up a glass of water with a bamboo straw and lifting it to Jacob’s lips. “I’m part of the pack, though I can’t turn. But I can still understand the others and I’m here for incidents like you.”

Jacob has many, many questions, but the first thing he does is smile. “I’m an incident?” He asks when she lowers the glass, hoping that his weak voice gets the humour across.

“Humans, they’re not… the norm as you can guess,” she explains, which really doesn’t explain a lot. “But you’re not the first one, not by a long shot. However, you’re Sangyeon’s first and let me tell you that means more than you can wrap your head around.”

Blushing, Jacob hopes she won’t be able to see the extent of it from the way she’s shadowing him. He doesn’t really know how to answer. “You’re really pretty,” is what he settles on in a small voice and Lana barks out a laugh.

“You humans always say that, it must be the after-sex high.”

“No, it must be because it’s _true_ ,” Jacob quickly replies.

Lana hums and places the glass down, turning to the little table to get the leaves out of the tea. “If you say so,” she says cutely before turning more serious. “You must have loads of questions though… usually people are way more informed before doing what you did… that must be a _lot_ and not just for your body, so if you got questions feel free to ask them.”

Jacob blushes even more, the deep ache sitting in his muscles a reminder of what he did, what he let _Sangyeon_ do. He shudders and immediately gasps at the pain shooting up his spine, Lana turning to him with a concerned face.

“Y-you said something about a pack,” he tries quickly, his voice strained. “What does that mean?”

“It’s nota pack in the traditional sense, not as much anymore,” Lana explains, sitting down on a pillow in front of Jacob. “It’s more… like a family, but of course not all of us are related, that would be _messy_ … You know Sangyeon and his friends, Juyeon, Younghoon, Jaehyun and a few more, they’re all in the pack too and they’re all wolves. The gene didn’t fully carry through to me, which makes me very bitter, believe me, but I can still hear them when they call… it’s like a weird mental thing that connects a pack.”

Jacob takes a few minutes to wrap his head around it. “So is there a pack leader too? An alpha wolf that everyone has to obey?”

Lana shakes her head. “Not really anymore. Of course there are people who have to keep the others in check, but mostly it’s just for wolves after they first turn at thirteen or so, to have a little guidance and some rules.”

“Thirteen?” Jacob asks quietly. “That’s so young… do they… during full moon, they turn involuntarily right? Do the young ones, _uhh_ , participate in the ritual and stuff? The m-mating ritual?”

Chuckling, Lana looks down where she’s playing with her fingers. “Only when they’re mature and ready to mate… before that they usually just hunt or run up into the mountains for the night… But I’m surprised that you seem to know a lot about the mating and still so willingly went.”

Jacob blushes even more, wishing the floor would open up right under him. “Yeah, that was a bit dumb, huh?”

She quickly shakes her head. “No, not at all, I mean power to you for taking it… not many humans get knotted so… yeah, it really shows you trust Sangyeon, more than just the bond tells you to.”

At that, Jacob furrows his brows. “The bond? What do you mean?”

Lana seems taken aback for a few seconds. “Well, your _bond_ with Sangyeon. He and you are connected, deeper than usual relationships. It means you are more receptive of each other’s feelings. Some bonded mates can even feel when the other is in danger and stuff… I think it’s only because of that, that Sangyeon was _willing_ to knot you, because he could feel you were fine with it.”

Jacob feels a little sick, but as if on cue, he can feel his insides move and something wet run out of him, pulling a gasp from his throat and making him arch his back at the feeling. He hopes there’s a towel placed underneath him, because _god_ , there’s a lot of it coming out.

“Yeah that… we can get you into a bath and cleaned out in few minutes… would be good for my nose too, it _reeks_ of Sangyeon in here. He really ruined you for the others.” Lana is saying it as if it’s a casual thing, but Jacob feels another wave of nausea run over him.

“A bath sounds great right now,” he says to distract from it, hoping to get the stickiness all over his body off will make him think a little clearer and stop running from one assumption to the next. “I have to be true, I feel really embarrassed by, _uh_ , all of this… so thank you for helping me.”

“Of course,” she says with a shake of her head. “Sangyeon will be a wolf for the whole night and we couldn’t just leave you passed out in the forest, could we? Also I did this enough times to not be weird about it, I promise.”

The words help Jacob calm down a little, enough to hold back tears when Lana leaves to run a bath for him. Jacob feels weirdly emotional and despite the blankets all over him and the fire right in front of him, he feels cold until Lana comes back and helps him up, almost carrying Jacob to the bathroom and sitting him down in the tub.

She helps him to clean the scratches all over his back, arms and legs and despite Jacob being naked, it’s not sexual, not at all, even though Sangyeon’s come is dissolving in the water and Jacob feels sensitive and jumpy from every touch.

Afterwards, Lana gives Jacob clothes that don’t quite fit right on him but it’s good enough to get him home. It wouldn’t be a long walk at all, but Lana still starts up her old car and gets Jacob into the seat, driving him home.

“Do you think Sangyeon really means this? Or was I just an easy fuck during full moon.” Jacob asks when she stops in front of the bakery. He feels worn and tired and even though Lana cared for him so nicely, he feels incredibly alone. Left alone by Sangyeon.

She almost flinches at the words and looks at Jacob in complete disbelief. “Jacob, some humans might be like that, hell, some wolves probably are, but Sangyeon isn’t, I can tell you that much. He’s traditional… would never do this for a quick fuck. He was interested you from the beginning and for him, the bond just showed him a person he wants to be with forever. But he of course is up with the times as well, so if that’s not something you want, he’ll probably be more understanding than anyone else.”

Jacob stays silent for a long time, his head pushed back against the seat, eyes looking into nothingness. “Thank you,” he says eventually, with a heavy heart and anxious worries exploding in his mind, but Lana pushed them a little further away.

Enough for Jacob to not break out in tears until he locks the door of his room behind himself, on his own once more. He somehow manages to send Kevin a text that he’s fine, before crawling underneath the blanket and crying himself to sleep.

-

Jacob sleeps for a long, long time the next day, way into the afternoon. He awakes with aching bones and an empty stomach and forces some tea and fruit into his system before going to the bathroom, slightly nauseous to see himself.

He undresses in front of the mirror and stands there for a long time, just looking at himself, thinking about how the sight makes his skin prickle, his heart sing with memories of the night before.

There are bruises all over his arms and legs, quite a big one at the side of his torso that’s interrupted by a thin scratch. More of those are on his forearms and shin, probably from branches he ran by on his way to the lighting.

On his back, there are claw marks too, red streaks to show Sangyeon went gentle with him, or well, as gentle as he could as a wolf. With a trembling breath, Jacob brings his fingers between his legs, the skin there still sensitive but pretty much back to normal, not ripped a part and in need of hospitalization like part of him feared when he fell into a deep slumber the night before.

He only cleans the scratches, loving the way his skin still smells like the forest, maybe from the tincture Lana put in the bath for him.

Once he emerges from the bathroom, part of Jacob hopes to find an abundance of messages from Sangyeon on his phone, for him to come over so they can see each other, so the other can fill the emptiness slowly filling out Jacob’s whole being.

But when he finds no new messages, Jacob actually feels relieved.

He gets dressed enough to take a quick detour to the bakery for some food, but when he opens the door, he finds two bags from it already sitting there, that his landlord must’ve brought by. One of them is filled with all kind of sweat treats and the other with savoury delicacies.

Jacob sits down at the chess table by the window and begins to eat, scrolling through his laptop and trying to ignore the salty taste added to the food when tears start rolling again. He doesn’t know why he’s so emotional ever since last night.

Maybe Sangyeon really ruined him.

Silent nagging thoughts even come to Jacob’s mind, that maybe he did something wrong, maybe he wasn’t _good enough_ for Sangyeon, and that’s why he isn’t coming by. That even though they have a stupid bond connecting them, Sangyeon is done with Jacob after the ritual, even though Lana sounded so sure he wouldn’t drop him.

Jacob avoids calling Kevin the whole evening, telling him how he’s very busy with figuring out parts of his thesis, which technically isn’t all that wrong as he tries to sort his thoughts out about it. If he really should keep going now that he’s so personally invested in it all.

He feels restless the whole time until at some point around eight, calmness settles over him and it feels like Jacob can finally breathe. Only a minute later he can hear a small tap, then another one and he follows the sound to his window, finding pebbles being thrown against it.

Confused, he opens the window, peaking his head out carefully. He knows who to expect, because who else would throw stones against his window to catch his attention, but it still hits Jacob more than he expected, his chest feeling tight and his skin prickling, _begging_ him to run down and embrace Sangyeon in his arms.

“Go on a walk with me?” Sangyeon asks, loud enough for Jacob to hear but not yelling in a way that causes unnecessary attraction.

Closing the window again, Jacob finds himself mindlessly slipping on a jacket and shoes, not even questioning if he should go, or if he should wait a little longer to sort his thoughts out before talking to the other.

He takes two stairs at a time and finds Sangyeon waiting near the entry, hands in his pocket and avoiding Jacob’s eyes, just as nervous, just as unsure.

“Hi,” he says shyly when Jacob turns to him.

Jacob’s heart skips a beat and he can’t help the smile breaking out on his face. “Hi,” he whispers back, and when Sangyeon finally looks up and into his eyes, it feels like things can be right again. Like they’ll figure everything out.

They walk out of the town side by side, up to the path Jacob took on his first day silently, both not knowing how to start and at the same time simply enjoying the other’s presence. They don’t go far into the forest however and sit down on a weathered bench quickly, both awkwardly searching for words.

It’s Sangyeon who wins, sitting up straighter and turning fully to Jacob, a serious expression on his face. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to you sooner,” he apologizes. “I needed some time to think, to be mad at myself. I shouldn’t have let that happen like it did, letting my instincts overtake when we never even talked about it, when I only left clues behind for you to fill in the gaps yourself.”

Shaking his head, Jacob hopes his smile looks genuine. “I liked it, okay? Yeah, we probably should’ve talked beforehand, but I really, _really_ liked it a lot… And I’m glad we’re talking now. I’m still not sure where I stand with everything, but I think being open is the best way to go from here, even if it sucks to make it work sometimes.”

“You’re probably hurting a lot, right?” Sangyeon asks with a concerned voice and Jacob turns away with a blush. He can’t even sit comfortably on the bench, his legs and back aching, scratches itching under his clothes. “Let’s go back to your place, if that’s okay?”

Jacob lets Sangyeon help him up and he keeps their hands connected afterwards. “Of course it’s okay,” he says as they begin the short walk back. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Sangyeon looks off to the side sheepishly, scratching his head in embarrassment. “You know how scents are kind of a big thing for me, right?” Jacob nods, brows furrowed confusedly. “I know it’s not the same for you, but still I didn’t want to… I didn’t want to stink up your place basically.”

“I think I can deal with that,” Jacob says with a chuckle. “If what Lana said is right, I reek of you already anyway.”

Sangyeon takes a sharp intake of breath at the words, his hand clutching Jacob’s tighter. They continue the last bit of the walk back in silence.

Once they arrive, Jacob quickly takes his shoes off and settles down on the bed, groaning when his muscles immediately stop aching. He gently pats the space next to him, urging Sangyeon to lay down with him instead of awkwardly standing in the room.

“You ate,” he says as he crawls next to Jacob, pointing at the bags still laying on the table. “I needed some time, but I still wanted to make sure you eat.”

“Oh, you brought these by?” Jacob asks shyly. “It was very delicious… I thought you would’ve been able to feel it through our, _uh_ , through the bond thing.”

Sangyeon furrows his brows and turns to Jacob, reaching a hand out to intertwine their fingers. “It’s not strong like that yet… also I was pretty far away the whole day and I could only ever _really_ feel you when we were close.”

Jacob thinks back to the first time he saw Sangyeon at the bar and the feeling of something fitting into place in his chest. About all the times he felt so receptive to Sangyeon’s feelings, or like he was understood just as easily.

“I think I can feel that too sometimes,” he says, followed by a bitter chuckle. “What does that even _mean_? These things aren’t supposed to exist, they don’t happen where I’m from, why did it happen to _us_?”

Gulping, Sangyeon shuffles a little closer, pulling Jacob towards him like he needs the reminder that the human is right there, right in front of him. “We’re bonded,” he explains. “It doesn’t occur often between humans and wolfs, and usually we don’t even let it affect our choice of partner, but I guess it swept me off my feet a little.”

Jacob shakes his head in disbelief. “So you chose me the first time you saw? Or you just felt it and thought _oh_ , _let me just ruin that dude for anyone else_?” It sounds more desperate for understanding than Jacob thought it would and the words clearly sting, but Sangyeon doesn’t pull away, doesn’t leave him alone, not this time.

“It’s not a choice, even though if it was, I think I would’ve chosen you anyway,” Sangyeon says, making Jacob’s heart skip a beat. “It just _fits_. It’s more than a crush, more important than someone simply wanting to keep you for themselves… It’s like a soulmate bond.”

Jacob sighs. “I don’t like it,” he says, and he can feel that the words hit Sangyeon badly. Jacob can feel it stab at his own heart, so he quickly explains himself. “I want to be together with someone because they interest me and because I like them. Not because some invisible force decided to connect us.”

Sangyeon isn’t looking directly at him, but he nods. “It’s not necessarily a bond for life, not between humans and wolfs most times. We can probably never see each other again and it wouldn’t hurt a lot more than normal heartbreak.” He stops there, taking a deep breath, before whispering, “For you at least.”

Jacob turns to the other as quickly as he can, pushing his face up with a finger under his chin. “Sangyeon, that’s not what I’m saying… I’m _very_ interested in you and I like you _a lot_. I just don’t want this bond to be what puts us together. I want it to be out of mutual free will.”

He can see Sangyeon’s eyes flit between his own, maybe searching for a lie that isn’t there, for uncertainty where Jacob herds none.

“I want that too,” he breathes after a few more moments. “I like you, Jacob. So much.”

Chuckling, Jacob can’t hide his excited smile. “Can I say something weird right now that I promise is meant as a joke?”

With furrowed brows, Sangyeon wraps an arm around his middle and pulls them even closer together. “O-okay? Go for it…”

“I sure hope you like me, I don’t just take anyone’s knot,” and with a squeal Jacob hides his face in Sangyeon’s chest, feeling the skin of his cheeks burn bright and hot.

The other sputters for words for a few seconds, mouth opening and closing a few times before he can finally get something out. “Y-yeah you did… You really did, I still can’t believe it, like is your body _okay_?”

Jacob pulls back enough to be able to look at Sangyeon’s face. “It hurts… everywhere basically. But god, was it worth it,” he confesses. “I’m not opposed to it once in a blue moon… pun fully intended.”

Groaning, Sangyeon softly wrestles Jacob until he’s laying underneath him. “Let me make it better then? Let me take care of you?” Jacob knows the other can probably smell his arousal as he begins growing hard in his pants, but he still nods.

“Please do,” he whines softly and together they get him out of his clothes, Sangyeon right after, who blushes when Jacob curses at the sight of his muscular body. “I wish my body wouldn’t hurt this bad right now so we could really fuck.”

“ _Shh_ ,” Sangyeon coos, pressing delicate kisses along the bruises on Jacob’s torso. “Just lay back and relax, let me do the work, okay?”

Jacob digs his nails into Sangyeon’s scalp that night and comes deep down his throat and then they kiss until he falls asleep with the taste of sex and love on his tongue.

With Sangyeon wrapped around him, Jacob never turns cold that night, and he sleeps deep and long again, waking up sore and flustered but pressed up against the other, just a kiss away from a smile that makes his whole world turn upside down.

He’s not sure where this path will take him, but more so than ever before Jacob trusts in it and in himself. And he trusts in the vulnerable feelings pulling sweetly at his heart.

**Author's Note:**

> I’d really like to write a version of this from Sangyeon’s POV since a lot of the nuances regarding the wolves weren’t deepened from Jacob’s view. If that’s something you’d want to see, please let me know in the comments!!
> 
> Kudos and comments are always encouraged, they make may day <3


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